W Darfur yellow fever vaccination campaign to end in days: minister

The third phase of the vaccination campaign against yellow fever in West Darfur will end in a few days and the health minister is urging all citizens to get their shots. According to Minister Ishaq Ahmed Yaqoub, West Darfur would be “the first state to vaccinate all of its citizens against yellow fever” by the end of the campaign on 17 March.The following West Darfur localities were targeted by the campaign in this final phase: Sirba, Jebel Moon and Kulbus.The yellow fever epidemic in Darfur that started around September last year killed 171 people across the region, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Sudanese federal health ministry estimate.WHO declared this epidemic is “Africa’s worst in decades” and could “definitely” be classed as the largest one since at least 1990.Hospitals’ rehabilitation In a different development, Yaqoub disclosed to Radio Dabanga that his ministry’s year plan for 2013 is to rehabilitate hospitals in different localities so they can perform cesareans.The plan implemented the year before was minimizing maternal mortality rates, which kills 233 women out of 100.000 in birth deliveries, he said.El Geneina hospitals and the Kireinick center have been training mid-wives from each of the state’s localities.Lastly, the minister pointed out he is working to rehabilitate 20 health units and training 100 medical assistants.Photo: Staff members of the Teaching Hospital receive the first vaccination treatment for yellow fever in El Geneina, West Darfur, on November 14, 2012 (Albert Gonzalez Farran/ UNAMID) Related:3rd phase of yellow fever vaccination campaign to begin in W. Darfur (28 February 2013)Darfur yellow fever epidemic: ‘Africa’s worst in decades’, WHO (7 December 2012)